When you go to any kind of GT training, they always talk about frames. Frames are a way to get the kiddos to think more deeply about a character, historical figure, concept, etc. You take several different ideas from Kaplan's Depth and Complexity and have them complete them all with one thing in mind. You can do several different kind of perspective for example ( I always do this with the Lorax-perspective of the Lorax from the tree's perspective, the Once'ler's, etc.)
We are reading the Mouse and the Motorcycle, which honestly, my kids are not really getting into the way I thought they would. But we haven't given up on it yet! :) I asked them to write their unanswered questions about the story so far, about the ethics-was it right or wrong for him to ride the boy's motorcycle. I asked them to think from the perspective of the mouse and also across disciplines-what would a scientist like in the story so far or a mathmatician? It was a challenging activity for them but some of them really did a great job!
When my kids haven't embraced a chapter book, I've sometimes wondered what to do. Do I press on or use it as a teaching moment that it's okay to put a book down? Or is it my fault and I haven't done enough scaffolding? Oh, lots of questions that I don't have answers to. Anyway, your kids are thinkers!
ReplyDeleteTammy-yes, I've debated that myself. They loved Junie B. Jones and would be perfectly content with me reading that whole series to them if it was up to them. But I guess the part of me that is always trying to challenge them won't let me do that. It's always funny to me too how one class one year can just adore a book and the next just won't even listen to it.
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